Jennifer Matthews
Jenny Matrix is a major protagonist in the Video Game High School series, former captain of the VGHS Junior Varsity FPS team, current captain of the VGHS Varsity FPS team, and the love interest and eventual girlfriend of Brian D. An extremely skilled and accomplished gamer, throughout the series she has expressed her aspirations of becoming a professional gamer. For most of Season 1 Jenny is in a relationship with VGHS Varsity FPS captain The Law, Brian D's archnemesis and the primary antagonist of the series. This relationship however ended by the season's eighth episode, after it became known to Jenny that Law had no intention of granting her position on Varsity FPS. Overview Season 1 Jenny is introduced in the second episode of the series. She is made the welcome buddy of Brian D. and Ki Swan, although she does little to fulfill this role. Brian instantly develops a crush on her and attempts to impress her (which instead results in Games Dean becoming popular), as well as try to get onto the JV team. Jenny demands five reasons on why he should be let on. After witnessing Brian defeat Annihilist (as well as accidentally expel him), Jenny asks for four more reasons. She is impressed again with Brian's preformance in the Pit, and invites him to her party. At the party, Jenny shows Brian her room and reveals to him that she loves Dance Ex Machina and that her mother is Mary Matrix, captain of The Denver Commandos. She confesses that she is worried that she won't make it onto the Varsity team, but Brian encourages her and tells her not to worry. After Brian and The Law fight against each other in DXM, Brian becomes the light of the party even though The Law completely outperforms him. Jenny lets Brian take the spot on the JV team (it was The Law who told her to do so, in order to humiliate Brian) and goes off to dance with The Law, who Brian realizes (much to his disappointment) is her boyfriend. The scrimage game ends in disaster for the JV team, including Brian's accidental killing of Jenny. Brian is almost expelled after a one-on-three match with Games Dean and his gang, but Jenny saves him and helps him defeat the three. Games gets revenge by claiming on his blog that Brian and Jenny were making out after their fight. Determined to make it onto Varsity, Jenny tells Brian that they can't hang out anymore out of fear that the Law will prevent her from joining after hearing the news. At the sign-ups for try outs, Jenny witnesses Brian attacking the Law, and assumes that this has ruined her chances of making it onto Varsity. She angrily confronts him later, revealing to him that she is aware of his crush and tells him he should leave. Brian informs her that The Law wouldn't have let her on the team anyways, and that he is expelled. She calls him an asshole and runs off. She breaks up with the Law sometime later. The next day, she finds Brian at his new job and apologizes. Learning that through a technicality that he can still try out, and possibly return to VGHS, she helps Brian pull himself together and they share a round of DXM together. They almost kiss before they are interrupted by Ted and Ki, who have made up. At try outs, Jenny and Brian lead the JV team well against Varsity until the Law shows up. They nearly face defeat before Brian and Jenny figure out a plan to confront the Law. Jenny is able to distract the Varsity long enough for Brian to kill The Law and return to VGHS. Jenny gives Brian a permament spot on the JV team, and the two share their first kiss, although they agree to remain friends. Season 2 Jenny is stunned to discover her mother Mary has been hired as the new FPS coach. Jenny hoped to gain a spot on the varsity team, however, Mary did not consider her qualified and showed little interest in the JV team at all. Moreover, Mary assigned Brian to an open varsity spot, despite his urging that it go to Jenny instead. Jenny, though clearly unhappy about this, does not blame Brian and even tutors him on her mother's playbook. Ultimately, this setback proves short-lived as the entire varsity squad (save for Brian) is disqualified due to a cheating scandal involving The Law, and the JV team is sent to compete in their place. Under Jenny's leadership, the team manages to win their first match against the Barkley Cyber Dwarves. Jenny then decides, because she is the captain and her mother is the coach, to have her and Brian remain just friends, something that throughly disappoints him. In Episode 3, she invites Brian over to help her write a speech for her mother's "Parent of the Year" award. However, she breaks down into tears because she realizes that she has no fond memories of her mother, causing Brian to spend the night comforting her. After she delivers the speech later that day, her mother whispers, "Was that so hard?" in her ear, deflating Jenny's spirits. She later appears at Brian's door, and they begin a relationship in secret. Personality Jenny Matrix possesses an intense personality which greatly contrasts with series protagonist Brian D. Unlike Brian, Jenny is assertive, ambitious, commanding, dedicated, strongwilled, and stubborn, qualities which transfer to and augment her gaming performance. Unbeknownst to most people however, Jenny is driven by a desire to please and live up to the expectations of her mother, a professional FPS captain, and even feels pressured to resort to extremes to achieve the success she needs to fulfill that dream. On-screen she has only revealed this side of her life to Brian, in Episode 4, however it is presumed that The Law was aware of this as well, and used it to his advantage to manipulate Jenny. Relationships Brian D Despite initially thinking little of Brian D, as well as being in a relationship with The Law, Brian's arch-nemesis, Jenny and Brian developed a powerful bond and foundation for a romantic relationship throughout Season 1. Though originally conspiring with Law to subvert Brian, Brian's persistence, enthusiasm, and fundamental good nature would eventually prompt Jenny to genuinely care for his well-being, aiding and saving him even after his recklessness cost her and her JV FPS team an important match against Varsity FPS. A major point of conflict throughout Season 1 and in the relationship between Jenny and Brian stemmed from Jenny obeying the Law's orders to place Brian on the JV FPS team so that he may exact his vengeance upon Brian during the annual JV/Varsity FPS scrimmage, which he inevitably did. Jenny's part in this conspiracy however was not done out of malice, but rather selfish desire to secure position on the Varsity FPS team. It is ultimately Brian however who opens Jenny's eyes to the fact that Law never held any intention of elevating Jenny. After defeating Law and the FPS Varsity team in the Season 1 finale, Brian and Jenny finally kiss in the locker room. As Jenny gives Brian a permanent spot on the JV FPS team, they agree to keep a platonic relationship, as to avoid complications. In season 2, Jenny and Brian continue as friends, and Jenny even agrees to go on a date with Brian. The evening is cut short when Brian is assigned to the varsity team, however. Ultimately, Jenny decides they should remain friends, as she is still the captain, and her mother is the coach, something that clearly disappoints Brian D. Nevertheless, Brian provides some emotional support during her strained relationship with her mother, which leads to Jenny agreeing to date him behind her mother's back. The Law Despite their status as boyfriend and girlfriend throughout most of season 1, Jenny Matrix and Law appear to have a mutual parasitic relationship; with Jenny harboring a deep desire to please her mother and make the FPS Varsity team (which Law captains), and Law using Jenny to orchestrate Brian's demise. There is little indication throughout the series that either two genuinely cares for each other. To the contrary, Law openly admits to Brian of having no intention of granting Jenny position on the FPS Varsity team; refusing to risk anyone stealing the spotlight from him. Jenny, after Games Dean spreads a rumor around the school claiming he witnessed Jenny and Brian making out, tells Brian that the two cannot spend time together solely out of fear of vindication from the Law. The Law wants to make Brain Ds life misrable in season one. In Season 2, Jenny remarks that she can't believe that she dated him. Mary Matrix Mary Matrix is Jenny's mother, and their relationship is blatantly strained. Due to her intensive gaming career and ambition, Mary has been more than a bit negligent when parenting Jenny. Mary had only contacted Jenny via a once-a-year phone conversation until she becomes the FPS coach at VGHS. When obliged to write a "Mother of the Year" speech for Mary in Season 2 Episode 3, Jenny has extreme difficulty recalling any special mother-daughter memories. Despite the tension, Jenny still yearns for opportunities to bond with Mary...although the yearning may not be reciprocated. Appearances *Season 1, Episode 1 *Season 1, Episode 2 *Season 1, Episode 3 *Season 1, Episode 4 *Season 1, Episode 5 *Season 1, Episode 6 *Season 1, Episode 7 *Season 1, Episode 8 *Season 1, Episode 9 *Season 2, Episode 1 *Season 2, Episode 2 *Season 2, Episode 3 Matrix, Jenny